Kirby Smart opines on rule changes

In April, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved measures intended to strengthen the accuracy of the targeting rule and limit blocking below the waist.

According to the new rules, officials will allow blocking below the waist only by linemen and stationary backs inside the tackle box.

Outside the tackle box on scrimmage plays, blocking below the waist will be prohibited.

“The biggest part about that is the safety. Like, people don't understand the targeting, a lot of people don't like it, right?” head coach Kirby Smart said during a recent edition of the Crain & Company podcast. “I hear people fuss and complain about college football and targeting and how they're going to change this and that. At the end of the day, the purpose they set out to do, which is reduce concussions and reduce those violent striking blows, they've reduced those.”

Smart, who said he’s all for making the game as safe as possible, took part in the discussion during the April session in Indianapolis.

“I had the great fortune of being on a rules committee. I got to go back to Indianapolis where they did the NCAA rules committee,” Smart said. “I sat through two days of long, grueling meetings of things I never knew you could even meet about and things you could even ponder about on rules changes.”

Smart said he understands why some fans may not like the new rules.

“The offset of that is probably some dislike by fans and some questionable decisions,” Smart said. “The purpose is to make it a safer game. I've got a son that plays the game. I hope football goes on forever. I want it to be safer, so if that rule makes it safer, I think we have to listen to it and understand it.”

Smart said new rules as it pertains to blocking below the waist mirror those currently in place by the NFL.

“We've got parallel with the NFL, and they found through their studies and their numbers — which they spend a lot of money on — that it cut down on knee injuries. So, if it works, let's do it,” Smart said. “I think you're always trying, as a coach, to try to use those rules to keep you on the cutting edge of winning and trying to be at a competitive advantage, and that's what we try to do here.”